Starcraft II
I might be enjoying this game a little too much. That's how good it is.
I remember playing the original Starcraft when it was released, in 1998. What I remember most about it was that it was one of the first games that I ever pirated (downloaded off the internet) and that its production values immediately blew me away. The music, artwork and atmosphere of the game were all unparalleled for the time period, and that's not even to mention the gameplay which has made Starcraft one of the most popular competitive games of all time since then. So, you can imagine my anticipation.
How's the sequel?
In a word, incredible. I can see why this game took such a long time. They've really managed to polish every part of it, from the menus and sound effects to the character animations and voicework. I've been a member of the official beta for about 2 weeks now (huge thanks to Peter who generously donated an invite to me) and my record online is 30-30 even. Despite starting in the platinum (highest) league of competitive play, I've dropped down to copper - 4 levels down! Despite the newness of the game, many online players have reached a high level of skill, using objects and units in clever ways. I learn something new in almost every game, even though I'm 50+ games in.
Yesterday I heard news that the beta is coming to a close soon, before the game officially releases on July 27th. For me, that'll be a good thing. I'm getting Starcraft-ed out.
Here are some screen shots I took:
Read more about Starcraft 2 on Blizzard's official site.
iPad Ordered from the USA
After a week of hearing news and looking at photos and videos of the iPad, I've pulled the trigger. This thing should arrive in a week or so after making an 8,000 mile journey around the globe. Actually, it will be it's second trip around the world: the first being from manufacturing in Shenzhen, China to the US for sale.
After playing with an iPad yesterday (Kevin's) for a few hours, I'm really excited about getting this thing. At the same time, I'm wondering what's going to happen to my 3G iPod Touch. Selling it would be easy but I've downloaded many apps, some of which I use everyday. Those are essentially unusable on the iPad and it seems redundant to keep both although the size difference is substantial and really affects use.
What am I looking forward to most? It's hard to pick one, but it would have to be iPad development. I've been learning watching and reading tutorials on iPad app development and I'm looking forward to learning more.
After that, I've gotta say reading eBooks. Finally I can enjoyably read some of the hundreds of eBooks I've accumulated over the years. I'm already making plans to sell my current book collection which numbers well above 60 books. It'll be a bit painful but for the first time in my life, I don't feel that I'll need them anymore.
You May Be a Victim
...of software counterfeiting. Honestly, I wish they had said piracy. It sounds so much more festive.
As I've been playing Starcraft 2 on my desktop recently, this message has been popping up frequently, kicking me out of the game. Recently almost every time I use Windows (I'm using Windows 7 on this computer) I'm bothered by how annoying it is. Programs crash, pop-ups distract me, and it's generally just more of a pain in the ass than Mac OSX. I feel sorry for people who don't know all the ins and outs of Windows like I do.
The Victim and the Culprit
Yeah, I didn't pay for Windows 7. I was an "official" Beta tester before it was released, and then I downloaded and installed a cracked copy. If it actually came down to paying $350 or more (however much Windows 7 Ultimate Edition™ costs nowadays), I'd just as quickly go back to Windows XP. That operating system is ten years old and feels like Mac OS 9 (that is, painfully antiquated) but at least it isn't as problematic as Windows 7.
Pondering the Future
Recently I came across this article, which considers the circumstances under which Apple's market cap tops that of Microsoft. I wholeheartedly agree with the author: Microsoft's days on top are numbered. With Google and Apple filling the gap by taking an ever-increasing market share from Microsoft with their superior mobile and desktop platforms, I say good riddance.
Blurring the Line Between Games and Reality
When I was 11 years old and playing Final Fantasy II, my friends and I used to talk about when the graphics would improve in games so much that they'd appear undistinguishable from reality.
It's happening. Check out this clip of Gran Turismo 5 on PS3 set side-by-side next to the real thing:
This clip is hosted on Youtube, so if you're in China and can't see it, read this.
61-Key Midi Controller Finds New Home
Lo and behold, another midi controller shows up for sale locally. And, like the rabid equipment fiend that I am, I snap it up. Even though I don't really need this, I got it at a heavily discounted price from someone who was leaving the country in two days.
The keyboard is CME UF-6, evidently made in Beijing in the early 2000's. It's a straight midi controller and there are no internal sounds, despite the appearance - it looks much more like a hardware synth than any midi controller I've ever seen. The design of the device looks very much inspired by the Virus C, but the good news is that this is a heavy and super solid piece of gear, which means it has a long life ahead of it. It has a few scuffs but included a stand - and although no power adapter was included, it's USB bus-powered. Unfortunately I don't really have a place to set it up at the moment, so it's sitting on top of one turntable and my MPC 2000XL. I'm thinking about selling the Yamaha digital piano (which I've been using as a midi controller) that's served me well for three years now, but I haven't acted on that impulse yet.
Here's a photo of the CME, isn't it sexy?
the CME UF-6, with an abundance of knobs and sliders
eBay Fiasco: Continued
So after winning the auction and convincing the seller that I'm not a scammer or identity thief (due to being in China), I paypal the seller $110, $78 of which came from my credit card and $32 from my paypal account. I receive confirmation that the transfer was accepted, $78 off my credit card, and then a retraction five minutes later.
We have reason to believe that your account was accessed by a third party. Because protecting the security of your account is our primary concern, we have limited access to sensitive PayPal account features. We understand that this may be an inconvenience but please understand that this temporary limitation is for your protection.
Then I log into paypal and it says I need to confirm my credit card information. I do that and the account is still restricted and I can't send the money until paypal manually reviews my account.
Damn you, China.
eBay Fiasco
So in the process of trying to acquire an expansion card for my MPC 2000XL on ebay I've been pinpointed as a scammer and/or identity thief. Through my own mistake my shipping address in China was automatically included in the post-auction email that was sent out, so when I sent another message saying to ship it to another person (Mark) in Los Angeles the seller asks me to mutually withdraw the transaction in fear of me robbing him or stealing his identity. lol oops. I understand how it must look, I have 100% positive feedback on ebay but because it's all from years ago. If I could find this thing on taobao (the Chinese ebay) it would save me a ton of hassle but sadly it is not. Here's a link to the auction - it's an 8-output sound card.